Freedom of The Press

News about Freedom of The Press, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 17, 2015

Prominent Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui is fired by MVS Radio after reporting on possible conflict of interest involving country's first lady, Angelica Rivera; station says dismissal is in response to Aristequi's threat to quit but many see it as attack on freedom of press. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Family of imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian says Iranian judge Abolghassem Salavati has inhibited their efforts to assign lawyer Masoud Shafiei to case; family says that Salavati has failed to give Shafiei permission to visit Rezaian and obtain his signed consent. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Sue Summer, journalist in town of Newberry, SC, has been publishing online pages from sealed diary mailed to her anonymously and purported to be that of late singer James Brown's wife Tommie Rae Hynie Brown; Summer's actions have placed her at center of dispute over freedom of press, Brown's estate and whether Tommie was legally his wife. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Bahrain authorities force newly launched Al Arab television network to stop broadcasting after it airs interview with Khalil al-Marzouq, senior member of al-Wefaq, largest opposition party in country, in which he criticized government; move follows string of similar efforts on part of Arab monarchies limiting freedom of speech while trying to foster image of openness. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reports that detained Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezian will go to trial soon, but no information is released about the charges he faces. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Editorial argues that Iranian judiciary has been given opportunity to dismiss case against Jason Rezaian, Washington Post reporter imprisoned for several months in Iran, as case moves forward into next phase; says that by releasing Rezaian, who has not been officially charged with any crime, Iran could prove its credibility and trustworthiness at key time. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

PEN American Center reports that press freedom in Hong Kong is being threatened; says journalists are being assaulted, stories are being censored and advertisers are shunning publications authorities do not like. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Jason Rezaian, Washington Post correspondent imprisoned in Iran since July for unnamed reasons, is formally charged by Iranian authorities, but charges are not specified; Rezaian will be tried in Revolutionary Court. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

David Carr The Media Equation column maintains buyers of latest issue of Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper were engaged in political act, signaling strong support of freedom of speech; suggests that issue of newspaper will become iconic artifact of time when world stood with France in defending free speech. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, main supporter of Occupy Central democracy protests, faces charges in court over role of his media outlets in supporting democracy movement; Lai's fate could have repercussions for media freedom throughout Hong Kong. MORE

Jan. 2, 2015

Highest appeals court in Egypt calls for retrial of Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste, Al Jazeera journalists who have been imprisoned for more than a year; while order is implicit recognition of flaws in cases against the men, it does not guarantee they will be freed in near future. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Margaret Sullivan The Public Editor column highlights recent history of efforts by United States government to have The New York Times withhold stories based on national security concerns; contends that although The Times must sometimes make some difficult calls in face of such requests, it must remember duty to provide readers with all the information they need to understand, and have a voice in, critical national debates. MORE

Dec. 15, 2014

Turkish police detain at least 24 police officers, journalists and other media workers; raids come days after Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled new campaign against supporters of influential Muslim cleric Bethullah Gulen, who he accused of attempting to overthrow his government; detentions draw more than 1,000 demonstrators who protest against repression of news media. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Justice Dept indicates it will not force New York Times reporter James Risen to divulge confidential source; official says department might still subpoena him to testify at trial of Jeffrey A Sterling, former CIA officer accused of disclosing classified information that appeared in Risen's 2006 book State of War. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

Local oligarchs and investment groups across Eastern Europe are snapping up newspapers and other media companies, prompting concerns about press freedom; Matus Kostolny resigns his position as editor in chief of Solvakia's SME newspaper after one such group bought large share in its parent company. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Editorial cites Chinese Pres Xi Jinping's disinclination to ease visa restrictions for foreign journalists; responds by asserting that the New York Times will not alter its coverage to suit his whims or those of any other government leader; holds a confident regime should be able to handle truthful examination and criticism. MORE

Nov. 3, 2014

Hundreds of Egyptian journalists object to pledge by top newspaper editors that they will refrain from publishing articles critical of the government during a time of fierce fighting with militant extremists. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Editorial supports Atty Gen Eric Holder Jr's new guidelines addressing search warrants of reporters’ records but holds wording needs to be clarified; points out guidelines include some valuable changes, but also contain central flaw that requires prompt correction. MORE

Oct. 27, 2014

PEN American Center is calling on Justice Department to investigate Ferguson, Mo, police treatment of news media; cites police interference with journalists, including holding reporters in areas that denied them access to the protests, and accusations of threats and assaults. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Egyptian authorities confiscate all copies of one of the country’s largest private newspapers in order to censor an article, just days after Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vowed there would be no restrictions on free speech. MORE

Sep. 28, 2014

International delegation representing two leading press-freedom advocacy groups are scheduled to meet in Turkey with Turkish officials, possibly including Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about harassment and persecution of foreign and domestic journalists whose reporting is deemed hostile or unfair by the government. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

American Civil Liberties Union files lawsuit, prompted by bungled execution of Clayton D Lockett, arguing that reporters should have right to witness executions in Oklahoma from start to end. MORE

Aug. 23, 2014

Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, candidates in Afghanistan's disputed presidential election, both pledge to reverse the government's expulsion of New York Times journalist Matthew Rosenberg as soon as they take office. MORE

Aug. 22, 2014

Afghan government lashes out at criticism of its expulsion of New York Times journalist Matthew Rosenberg, saying his report on electoral crisis in Afghanistan was an act of espionage; Rosenberg left Kabul within 24-hour deadline imposed by Afghan attorney general's office. MORE

Aug. 21, 2014

Reporters, editors and those who monitor freedom of the press are describing harsh environment for reporters both at home and abroad, complicated by changes in way that journalists work, and change in way they are viewed by both governments, and public. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column criticizes Justice Dept and Obama administration for trying to force New York Times reporter James Risen to testify and reveal identity of confidential source in his 2006 book about bungled CIA operation; notes Risen may go to prison for refusing to testify, and that he considers Pres Obama to be greatest enemy of press freedom in a generation. MORE

Aug. 4, 2014

Editorial urges Canadian government to allow newspaper interview of former child soldier Omar Khadr, now in a Canadian prison; maintains Khadr, accused of throwing a deadly grenade in Afghanistan when he was just 15, faced torture in Guantanamo and his incriminating statements were obtained through coercion; holds public has a right to hear Khadr's side of the story. MORE

Aug. 2, 2014

Editorial decries arrests of Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and his wife and fellow journalist Yeganeh Salehi in Iran; argues that incident shows that country's oppression of journalism is continuing unabated despite talk of thaw by Pres Hassan Rouhani; calls on Rouhani to release them. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Kuwait's cabinet strips five people of their citizenship; decision involves former Islamist opposition lawmaker Abdullah al-Barshash, three of his siblings, and Ahmad al-Shemmeri, owner of independent television station Al Youm and newspaper Alam al Yawm. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

United States expresses concern about reports that four journalists from Unity newspaper, along with paper's chief executive, had been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in Myanmar. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Three Ethiopian journalists and six bloggers are charged with planning terrorist attacks during court hearing in Addis Ababa, nearly three months after they were arrested. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

Egyptian Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expresses disappointment at conviction of three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language service; comments appear to raise possibility of presidential pardon for the journalists. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Six-year-old case surrounding New York Times journalist James Risen, who refused to reveal confidential sources despite Bush administration subpoena, has reached critical juncture; Justice Department faces difficult choice of whether or not to force Risen's testimony, under threat of prison sentence, now that Supreme Court has refused to hear case; decision will send powerful message about how far Obama administration is willing to go to protect classified information and intelligence interests in the digital age. MORE

Jun. 25, 2014

Egyptian Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says he will not interfere in the case of three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language service who have been sentenced to at least seven years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood; brushes aside protests from governments of Western countries, including United States. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Egyptian judge convicts three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language network of conspiring with Muslim Brotherhood to broadcast false reports of civil strife in order to bring down government; Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed are sentenced to at least seven years in prison; United States criticizes verdict and sentence. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Editorial condemns conviction of three international journalists by an Egyptian court, saying specious charges are part of military-backed government's crackdown on dissent; argues that Obama administration should be more forceful in its response, despite strategic importance of its relationship with Egypt; notes that 16,000 people remain in Egyptian jails for political reasons. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

China announces new restrictions on news media, requiring reporters to receive permission from employers for investigative work and banning personal websites; journalists and rights activists say rules could have chilling effect on reporting in country. MORE

May. 28, 2014

Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr hints that Justice Department might choose not to jail New York Times reporter James Risen for defying a subpoena forcing him to discuss his confidential sources; prosecutors say that Jeffrey Sterling, former Central Intelligence Agency official, was source for chapter in Risen's 2006 book State of War. MORE

May. 23, 2014

Editorial decries crackdown on journalists being carried out by Myanmar government under Pres Thein Sein; holds that country's transition to democracy is being hampered by government's censorship attempts and calls for Myanmar to abolish all laws that threaten freedom of the press and peaceable assembly. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Group of news organizations is suing Missouri Department of Corrections, arguing that department is violating First Amendment by refusing to identify sources of lethal drugs used in its executions. MORE

Apr. 27, 2014

Accusations that Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence was involved in attack on journalist Hamid Mir have led to divisive debate and demands that television station Geo News, Mir's employer, be shut down; Mir was shot six times as he traveled to a Karachi television studio. MORE

Apr. 7, 2014

Media Decoder blog; Toledo Blade newspaper files lawsuit against six government officials, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, claiming that two of its journalists were detained unlawfully while taking pictures outside General Dynamics tank plant in Lima, Ohio. MORE

Apr. 5, 2014

Editorial fears Chinese influence is limiting free elections and journalistic freedom in Hong Kong; says Hong Kong’s position as a Chinese city with a free press and other rights has been central to its cultural vitality and success as a free-market economy; calls upon international community, particularly Britain, to remain vigilant in regard to Hong Kong's autonomy. MORE

Mar. 26, 2014

Obama administration protests decision by Saudi Arabia to deny visa to Michael Wilner, Washington bureau chief for the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, who had planned to cover Pres Obama's trip to Arab kingdom. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Pakistan's Prime Min Nawaz Sharif pledges to improve journalists' safety and freedom to work, ease visa and travel limits, and review the 2013 expulsion of New York Times reporter Declan Walsh. MORE

Mar. 14, 2014

Mam Sonando, 72-year-old Cambodian journalist and founder of Beehive Radio, has been described by his supporters as country's only truly independent broadcaster; Sonando has been arrested several times for programming critical of Cambodia's authoritarian government; support for his mission has grown along with criticism of Prime Min Hun Sen. MORE

Mar. 9, 2014

Editorial reflects on the legacy of 50-year-old Supreme Court case New York Times v Sullivan; warns that the Obama administration's aggressive prosecution of those suspected of leaking classified documents could upend the delicate balance of press freedom established by the case; contends that case's precedent led to the United States being a laudable world example for press freedom. MORE

Mar. 3, 2014

Thousands of Hong Kong residents march through streets to voice support for freedom of the and to denounce violence against journalists; demonstration follows near-deadly attack on Kevin Lau Chun-to, former chief editor of newspaper Ming Pao. MORE

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